Lanessa Rodriguez
Age 3328 Apr 2026
Fort Pierce, Florida (USA)
Shot
Lanessa was shot in her workplace. A suspect was arrested the followiing day.
Landen Ballard sat across from the 35-year-old woman in Cash Out Gold and Silver on April 28, and they started talking as if they knew each other, records show.
Ballard, 20, of Vero Beach, pulled a firearm from his hip but held it out of view of the woman, whom Fort Pierce police identified as [deadname] Vega, but friends identified as Lanessa Rodriguez.
Within minutes, Ballard shot Rodriguez once in the left shoulder, then fired six additional times until the magazine of his firearm was empty before leaving Rodriguez for dead.
Lanessa was of Puerto Rican heritage and described by friends as a "feisty, amazing woman and “a beautiful human being".
“Lanessa helped everyone,” said Dominique Taylor, 44, of St. Lucie County. “Lanessa would take her shirt off her back so you can eat.”
Nayomy Nomelin, 36, of Boynton Beach, considered Rodriguez her best friend. The two share a birthday.
Nomelin described Rodriguez as an “incredible person with a huge heart.” She said Rodriguez had two sisters and a brother. She was close with her family, and doted on her grandmother.
Taylor, a transgender woman and a high-profile drag performer, said Rodriguez “had a heart of gold.”
“I was so proud of her as a trans woman watching her coming up with her business partner,” Taylor said. “It's crazy because as soon as a trans woman starts … looking ahead for her family and growing, they try to hurt us.”
Taylor said Rodriguez is of Puerto Rican heritage, with family in South Florida. Rodriguez, she said, is a long-time member of the Palm Beach County trans community.
“When a trans woman gets murdered, all of us get murdered,” Taylor said. “When one of us dies, we all die.”
Lanessa's Facebook proflee is https://www.facebook.com/fabuLAZ.
https://x.com/Kaylara0wl/status/2049923318090727838
